Interconnecting support



Aug. 9, 1938. H. GLEITSMAN INTERCONNECTING SUPPORT Filed Mai-ch 25, 1937 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

BY "4 ATTORNEYS.

' A g- 1938- H. GLEITSMAN' 2,126,630

INTERCONNEGTING SUPPORT Filed March 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

M y ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED h'i'i lfihlifi PATENT QFFICE Application March 25,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanical interconnections and more specifically to attachments for supporting one object from another.

In general it is an object of the invention to provide a device of the character described which will efficiently perform the purposes for which it is intended, which is simple and economical of construction, which can be expeditiously, conveniently and safely manipulated, and which can .be readily manufactured and assembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which'permits an object to be slidably attached to another object and to be suspended from the other object firmly and, if desired, non-rotatably, and which so interconnects the objects that one lies flat against the other and/or so that the interconnecting device is not visible; to provide such a device which is relatively strong, considering its size, to provide such a device which may be originally applied and thereafter used by one not mechanically trained; and to provide such a device which will hang an object against a wall and against a plaster wall.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will. be

H exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view partially in perspective and partially in elevation of a device embodying one form of the invention, the parts being separated;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, in part broken away, of the elements shown in Fig. 1 and shown while one is being attached to the other;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation and in cross-section of the device shown in Fig. 1 after the parts have been brought into juxtaposition;

Fig. 4 is a modification of one of the elements shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a further modification of the same element;

Fig. 6 is a still further modification of a similar element;

Fig. '7 is a modified form of another of the elements, i. 'e., wall-engaging element shown in v perspective;

Fig. 8 is a still further modification of the wallengaging element shown in perspective; and

Fig. 9 is a still further modification of the wallengaging elements shown in perspective.

It is contemplated by this invention that the 1937, Serial No. 132,910

interconnecting means hereinafter described may be used to attach one object to another, and more particularly to attach one object to a wall. These devices permit the attachment of bathroom fixtures, such as soap-holders, toilet cabinets, medicine cabinets, shelves, towel racks, pictures, and drapery supports, to plaster and wooden walls and to walls of any material into which a nail or screw may be inserted.

In the drawings, and more particularly Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral l0 represents a plate or similar element which is adapted for attachment to the object 12 to be suspended. The plate It) is intended to cooperate with a wall-engaging element shown generally at M, which may be affixed to a wall, door or the like It, by means of a nail, tack or pin 36. When the wall-engaging element is to be afiixed to a plaster wall, the nail or screw 3 should preferably be driven into the wall in the manner shown, for example, in Fig. i at an angle to the surface thereof so as to provide adequate support for the article or object to be suspended. The element M is designed to cooperate with the element It to suspend the object i2 substantially flush against the wall surface in such a way that the two elements, the suspending element and the suspended element, are substantially hidden from view. The element it may be provided with means adapted to receive screws or nails Hi to affix it to the object l2.

A preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates the provision of a recess 20 in that portion of the object l2 lying behind an opening 22 in the plate ill. The recess is preferably of such size and shape as to receive the portion of the element it and its associated elements which extends outwardly from the surface of the wall. Zhe opening 22 in the element Ill may be of the shape shown generally in Fig. 1, i. -e., it may have a broader lower portion 2 5 and a narrower slot like upper portion 26.

The wall-engaging element Hi may preferably comprise a flat portion 28 adapted to rest flush against the wall surface and a portion 30 extending outwardly from the wall surface when the element is in position thereagainst, and pref-- erably substantially at right angles to the portion 128. The portion 3% of the element l4 may preferably be notched closely adjacent its connection with the portion 28 so as to provide a restriction or narrow neck 32 of such width as to slide within the slot or narrower portion 26 of the opening in the element Ill. The pin or nail or screw holding the element 14 to the surface of the wall may be provided with a head 38 adapted to prevent the element 34 from being driven too far into the wall.

W'ith the element 34 in the position shown in l, i. with the outer end of the element in contact with the outer end of the portion 30,

the element 34 may act as a brace or strut to support the portion 30 of the element I4. Further support, if needed, may be provided by extending the portion 30 downwardly, as for example at 40 in Figs. 1 and 2, until it makes contact with the portion 48. The portion 40 thus acts as a brace or support.

It will be obvious that in most cases an adequate support is secured without the portion 40. A modified form of the element I4 showing no such downwardly bent supporting portion is illustrated in Fig. '7. Where the element is provided with a portion 46 the narrower portion or slot 26 of the element In may be of such length that when the element I6 is positioned upon the element I4, the upper end of the slot rests upon the neck 32 and the lower edges of the slot rest upon the portion 46, so that the weight of the suspended object may, if desired, be distributed in the manner indicated. Ordinarily this is not necessary. The part 40 may be dispensed with and the entire weight of the suspended object may, when the elements Ill and I4 are assembled, rest upon the portion 32 of the element I4.

A preferred form of the invention is one wherein the vertical distance from the portion 32 to the element 34 is slightly greater than the width of the slot 26, so that rotation of the element I0 upon the element I4 when they are in assembled position is prevented.

In assembling the two elements of the invention, the object I2, with the supporting plate I0, is brought toward the wall l6 so that the portions 30 and 46 and that portion of the afiixing means 34 which extends outwardly from the wall pass within the recess 20 and through the broad opening 24. The element I2 is then slid downwardly against the wall so that the narrower slot of opening 26 engages the notched portion of the element I4 in such a manner that the slot 26 embracesthe neck 32 and the element I2 is slid downwardly until the upper edge of the slot comes in contact with the upper surface of the neck. As may be seen from Fig. 2 the cross-section of .neck 32 is rectangular and hence, when it is embraced by slot 26, the neck cannot be rotated with respect to the slot. The portion 30, which is wider than the neck 32 and which is within the recess 26, acts to prevent removal of the hung object unless it is slid vertically upwardly against the surface of the wall.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, there are shown modified forms of the element I0. In Figs. 4 and 5, elements III) are shown adapted to be affixed, as for example by screws or nails, to the surface of an object to be suspended where such object is not provided with a recess, such as the recess 20. The elements III] are provided with protruding or extending portions 56, which in turn are provided with openings 22 of the character already described. The portions 50 protrude sufficiently from the surface of the object to which the elements I III are to be affixed as to provide a chamber between the surface of the object and the portion 50 of a size adapted to receive so much of the element I as extends outwardly from the face of the wall.

In Fig. 6 a further modification is shown. Here the element III] is provided with a single narrow slot portion I26, which is adapted to fit directly upon the notched section of the element I4 and to engage the neck 30. It will be obvious that the device shown in Fig. 6, for example, might be a fiat plate such as is shown in Fig. 1, where a recess is provided in the object to be mounted, or a plate with a protruding portion such as is shown, for example, in Fig. 5.

In Fig. '7 a still further modification of the wall-engaging element I4 is shown. Here the wall-engaging element is designated as 2 I4. It is provided with the wall-engaging portion 228, the outwardly extending portion 230, the notched neck portion 232, and the affixing element 234, which correspond to similar portions of the device already described and shown in Fig. 2. At the lower end of the device shown in Fig. 7, however, there is provided a second outwardly extending portion 240, which is also notched to provide a narrow neck 242 of the same character and size and directly in line vertically with the neck 232 at the upper end of the element. The two necksprovide a plurality of spaced elements adapted to receive the narrow, slot-like portion 26 of the plate I0 and adapted to hold the mounted element I2 rigidly against any rotation. It will be noted that no brace or supporting means equivalent to the brace 40 is shown in Fig. '7. It will be obvious that such a brace or supporting means might be employed either in the form and shape shown in Fig. 2 or as a brace extending directly from the outer end of the element 23!] to the outer end of the element 240.

There may be a tendency for the Wall-engaging elements I4 and 2M to rotate or pivot slightly when affixed to the wall surface. The device shown in Fig. 7 is provided with a small, naillike portion 244 adapted to penetrate somewhat into the wall surface and to cooperate with the element 234 to fixedly position the wall-engaging element and to prevent rotation thereof when in position against the wall.

In Figs. 8 and 9 still further modifications of the wall-engaging element are shown. In these figures the wall-engaging element designated generally as 3I4 may comprise a body portion 3| 6 adapted to engage the surface of a wall or similar element and a portion 3| 8 providing a plurality of extending flanges 320 spaced from the wall. These flanges 320 may be adapted to function substantially like the portions 30, 230 and 246 of the devices already discussed. For example, the plates I 0 or I I0 may be slipped over the elements 3 I4 with the narrow, slot-like openings 26 and I26 receiving the portions 3I6, so that the upper end of the slots in the plates I0 and III) will rest upon the upper end of the portions 3H5, and the flange elements 320 will be within the recess behind the plates l0 and III) and act to resist removal of the mounted element from the wall-engaging element. It will be obvious that the flange means 320 need not extend the full length of the element 3I4, but may, as shown in Fig. 8, be only at the upper end thereof, or preferably at the upper and lower ends thereof.

The elements 3I4 are preferably provided with means 322 adapted to receive nails, pins, screws or the like, and these means 322 are preferably so formed as to insure that the nails, screws or other mounting elements employed will be driven into the wall at an angle such as is shown, for example, in connection with the device illustrated in Fig. 1, so that a firm mounting is assured.

The interconnecting means shown in the drawings and hereinabove described has been found especially useful in connection with the suspension of objects from plaster walls. For example, objects of art, such as paintings, photographs and the like, bathroom fixtures such as toilet racks, medicine cabinets, vanity cabinets and the like, curtain fixtures, such as tiebacks and the like, shelving, dish cabinets, and a wide variety of other objects, have been effectively mounted by means of devices embodying the invention. The invention provides means which are normally hidden from view after the mounted object has been suspended, and it provides means which may be readily affixed in position without destroying the appearance of the wall from which the object is hung. The suspended object may furthermore be readily removed. A plurality of elements embodying the invention may be employed if desired in the suspension of a single object, although it is to be understood that the invention provides mechanical mounting means of relatively great strength and with relatively great ability to support.

The device of the invention may be cheaply and expeditiously made. The elements may be stamped or pressed from sheet metal, such for example as brass, iron or the like. They may be affixed in position by anyone, whether skilled in the suspension of objects or not.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In interconnectiong means, the combination comprising an element providing an opening, said opening being relatively broad at one end and relatively narrow and slot-like at the other, means adapted for being fixed to a wall and having one portion adapted for lying against the wall and having a second portion extending away from said wall, said second portion having an enlargement spaced from said one portion of such size as to traverse the broader portion of said opening but not the narrower portion thereof, means to prevent the rotation of said opening-providing element when in interconnected relation with said wall-engaging means, said opening-providing means also providing a chamber of suflicient size to accommodate said other portion when said other portion extends through said opening.

2. In interconnecting means, the combination comprising means providing an opening, said opening being relatively broad at one end and narrow at the other, means adapted for being fixed to a wall and having one portion adapted for lying against the wall, an extension from said portion having a constriction therein narrower than said narrow end, and fastening means positioned to extend through said portion and into and away from the wall, the broader end of said opening being adapted to permit said extension and said fastening means to be passed therethrough and the narrower end thereof being adapted to permit said extension and said fastening means only to extend therethrough, and said narrower end being smaller than one combined dimension of said constriction and said fastening means whereby, when said constriction and said fastening means are in juxtaposition with said narrower end, said constriction and said fastening means are prevented from rotating.

3. In interconnecting means, the combination comprising means providing an opening, said opening being relatively broad at one end and narrow at the other, means adapted for being fixed to a wall and having one portion adapted for lying against the wall, an extension from said portion having a constriction therein narrower than said narrow end, means providing a pinreceiving aperture in said portion extending angularly to the wall-engaging face thereof, and pin means positioned to extend through said aperture and said portion and into and away from the wall at an angle thereto other than a right angle, said broader end of said opening being adapted to permit said extension and said pin means to be passed therethrough and said narrower end being adapted only to permit said constriction to be moved thereinto.

4. In interconnecting means, the combination comprising means providing an opening, said opening being relatively broad at one end and narrow at the other, means adapted for being fixed to a wall and having one portion adapted for lying against the wall, an extension from said portion having a constriction therein narrower than the narrow end of said opening, and pin means positioned to extend through said portion and into and away from the wall at an acute angle thereto, the broader end of said opening being adapted to permit said extension and said pin means to be passed therethrough and said narrower end being adapted to permit said constriction only to slide thereinto, said opening-providing means also providing a chamber of sufficient size to accommodate said extension and the part of the pin means which extends away from the wall.

5. In combination, a wall-engaging element comprising a wall-engaging portion, a supporting portion extending away from and substantially at right angles to said wall-engaging portion, means to provide in said supporting portion a relatively narrow, neck-like portion adjacent said wall-engaging portion, bracing means integral with said supporting portion and depending therea from and in contact with said wall-engaging portion, pin means traversing said wall-engaging portion and substantially paralleling said bracing portion and adapted to extend into a wall at a relatively acute angle to the surface thereof, a supported element comprising plate-like means comprising means adapted to provide an opening therein, said opening being relatively broader at one end than at the other end thereof, the narrower end of said opening comprising a slot greater in width than the width of the neck-like portion of the supporting portion of said wallengaging element but less in width than the remainder of said supporting portion, the broader portion of said opening being greater in width than any portion of said supporting portion of said wall-engaging element, and means to prevent relative rotation of one of said elements with respect to the other thereof when said elements are in interconnected relation.

HAROLD GLEITSMAN. 

